Jesuits in Southern Africa Rebrand Province’s Collaboration Network with Renewed Commitment to Deepen Mission

Nairobi, 31 July, 2025 / 12:33 AM

The Provincial Superior of the Southern Africa Province (SAP) of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) has described the July 26 rebranding of the Jesuit Collaboration Network (JCN) to Jesuit Partners in Mission (JEPAM) as a new chapter in the Jesuit mission in Southern Africa.

The Provincial of the Jesuits in Southern Africa, Fr. Leonard Chiti, reported on social media that the rebranding “signals a renewed focus on the core values of the Society of Jesus and its partners-in-mission, rooted in Ignatian spirituality and discernment.”

“This transformation marks a deepened commitment to shared mission, discernment, and holistic formation for the society at large,” said Fr. Chiti in a message the Society’s Delegate of the Education Apostolate, Fr. Joseph Arimoso delivered on his behalf on Sunday, July 27.

He explained that the new identity following the rebranding of JCN at St. Francis Xavier House Novitiate in Zambia’s Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka, captures the spirit of calling all their partners in mission “not only to work for the mission, but to journey with the Jesuits as co-discerners of God’s will in their respective contexts.”

"To be a Partner in Mission is to be formed in the Spiritual Exercises," said the Jesuit Catholic Priest alluding to the first Universal Apostolic Preference (UAP): To show the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment.

The rebranding of JCN to JEPAM, officials say, is “framed within the SAP Apostolic Plan 2025–2030, particularly highlighting the first priority: to nurture vocations and prioritize formation of Jesuits and their lay partners.”

Launched in March 2021 following a June 2020 decree announcing its creation and the appointment in December 2020 of the first Provincial Fr. Chiti, the SAP brings together members of the Society serving in South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

During the occasion to mark the fourth anniversary of SAP in March 2025, the Provincial Superior acknowledged the Jesuits and their partners-in-mission in the Southern African region for helping the four-year-old Province to continue implementing its Apostolic Plan.

He reminded each Jesuit community within the Province, which is headquartered in Lusaka Zambia “to discern its path toward renewal, identifying specific needs and laying the foundation for a future that embodies God’s dream for the Province.”

Members of the SAP Jesuits and their partners-in-mission are set to convene for their next General Assembly in December to review the progress of the five-year Apostolic Plan whose first implementation phase began in January 2025.

“This gathering will serve as an opportunity to assess the implementation at the Province level ensuring that the Province remains committed to its mission,” said Fr. Chiti in his message for the fourth anniversary of the SAP on March 25.

The mission of the Jesuits worldwide which St. Ignatius of Loyola and his companions, St. Francis Xavier and St. Peter Faber founded in 1540 “is one of justice and reconciliation, working so that women and men can be reconciled with God, with themselves, with each other and with God’s creation.”